


Checking In

by songspinner9



Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Family, Friendship, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-12-31
Updated: 2011-12-30
Packaged: 2017-10-28 13:36:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,452
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/308404
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/songspinner9/pseuds/songspinner9
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Disclaimer: The usual...just playing in Martin Gero's sandbox for a bit, and returning (drat) the characters in one piece. I do not own Stargate Atlantis in any way, shape, or form.</p><p>Two interludes set in the middle of "SGA: The Return" (so obviously, SPOILERS!) 'cause there is a tantalizing gap of time in this episode...Family is where you go when you've been kicked out of everywhere else.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

“Coming!” Jeannie Miller closed her book, keeping her place with one finger, and headed for the door.

Rodney was standing in front of her, a bag slung over one shoulder and John Sheppard standing behind the other. Both of them were in civilian clothes.

“Hey, Jeannie.”

The novel dropped to the braided rug with a thump that matched the sound of the duffle bag hitting the stoop. Her brother’s arms came around her with a palpable desperation.

“Mer? What happened?” she whispered in his ear. When he didn’t answer, but simply hung on in a manner quite unlike himself, she shot a panicked look at John. She decided that she hadn’t spent enough time on Atlantis with the man to decipher the look he returned to her.

“Maybe we should go inside. Please, come in.” Jeannie unwound herself from Rodney carefully and steered him into the living room. She heard John nudge the duffle bag inside and then close the front door gently.

“It isn’t Christmas yet, so I didn’t expect to see you for... And you both look…what happened? Are you all right?” She paused in her frantic babbling and pulled herself together. “Should I…would you both like some tea?”

“Coffee would be nice, if it’s not a lot of trouble.” Rodney murmured.

She smiled at him. “Mer, this is me. I always have coffee somewhere, and I’ve needed it more because of my daughter than I ever did at university. Just wait a moment.” Jeannie hurried into the kitchen to pour them each a cup, calming herself in familiar movements and routines. “Extra sugar, Mer? John? I’m not sure how you take your coffee.”

“Black’s fine, Jeannie.” John called back. “And I don’t think your brother needs more sugar.”

She snickered a little at the sound of a thump and a low “Hey!” from the military man who’d clearly somehow become part of Rodney’s family. “Here you are.” Handing them each a cup, she curled up in her favorite chair across from where they sat on the couch. She watched for a moment as John picked up one of her daughter’s blocks from the floor and turned it over and over in his hands. “Madison’s on a play date at a friend’s house for at least another hour, and Caleb’s at a seminar. We’ve got a bit, so spill it, one of you.”

The two men looked long and hard at each other in silent communication until Rodney turned to her finally. “The ones who made Atlantis…they came back and claimed it. Sent us away.”

“So we came back.” John added. “They wouldn’t let us stay.”

It did not escape her notice that the word “home” wasn’t being used to refer to Earth. She suspected that home would always mean Atlantis now to these two men, even if they were never allowed back in their lifetime. “Oh, Mer.” Jeannie left the chair and joined them on the couch, hugging Rodney close again.

Looking up and noticing the rather lost expression on John’s face, she reached out one arm to pull him in as well. He rested his forehead on her brother’s shoulder with a little sigh. When they all pulled apart, Rodney cleared his throat, a little embarrassed, and scrubbed at his face with both hands.

“I’m sorry.” Jeannie said quietly. “What will you do now? Are the others all right?”

“Do you have a while?” Rodney said in a tired voice. “Because this is a long and complicated story.”

“Well, you can stay for dinner, then.”

“And we even stopped to get a present for Madison.” John added with a grin at odds with the dark circles she could see under his eyes.

“Oh, well, then…” Jeannie conceded. “That’ll keep the peace, for which I thank you. Why don’t you come into the kitchen for a while? Looks like I’ll need to make something for five tonight. Can either of you chop vegetables decently?”


	2. Chapter 2

Off you go then, son.” Carson removed his gloves and gave the young man a pat on the arm. “Just be sure to set up a follow-up so we can make sure that’s healing properly.”

“Thank you, sir.”

“Ah, just Dr. Beckett, not sir.”

Putting everything in its place on the shelves, Carson shook himself a little mentally as he realized that he was slowly getting used to where things went in a strange infirmary. He was filling in for Dr. Lam today, as she was in a meeting.

“Carson?”

The tentative voice from the doorway made him look up and find John Sheppard standing there. “Hullo, John. I’ve just patched up your two. One broken ankle and one bruised foot. They’ll be grounded for a bit, of course.”

“Of course they will.” John said wryly. “Once they dry off.”

Carson took a closer look at his friend’s face. “And I don’t believe I’ve seen ye for a post-mission check yet?”

“Ah, no. That’s what I wanted to talk to you about.”

The doctor raised one eyebrow in a silent query, running an all too-practiced eye over the other man’s body to check for obvious injuries.

“Nothing bad, just cut myself on a rock hauling those two out of the babbling brook they fell into. And I didn’t feel like announcing it to everyone in front of General Landry.”

“Have a seat, then.” Carson sighed. “Some things don’t appear to change regardless of what planet we’re based on, then.”

“Nope.” John replied in a decidedly unrepentant voice.

Snorting out a soft and amused breath, Carson set about examining the cut on John’s upper arm. “’Tisn’t bad. Not even much of a scar this time, and ye’ve got enough of those, I’d think.”

“Well, you know about most of those.” John muttered, wincing as the cut was cleaned.

“What’s really going on, hmmm?” Carson kept his voice even and low as he carefully taped the gauze pad over the gash.

Startled, John looked up at him.

“Ye’re not happy, John. I can see it after every mission. Do ye want to talk about it?”

“You’re not entirely happy here either, are you?” John asked as he pulled his black t-shirt on again.

“Well, no, not entirely, and stop changing the subject.” Carson chided the other man with a little smile.

“Touche.” John let out a huge sigh. “I don’t know. It’s off-world and interesting, but it’s not…”

“No, it’s not.” He finished the thought when John’s voice trailed off. They both knew what the other meant, anyhow. The whole unspoken topic was actually too new and raw for a conversation, and a change of subject did seem appropriate all of a sudden. “Have ye talked to Rodney this week?”

“I figured I’d call him tonight or he’d call me. He usually does now after I get back from an off-world mission.”

“I’d ask how he finds out when that is but I’ve a sneaking suspicion there’s computer hackin’ involved.” Carson commented, shaking his head.

“Probably.” John admitted, and hopped down off the exam table. “Are you still coming with us to dinner when he gets here tomorrow?”

“Aye. That’ll be a nice change this week. Did Elizabeth answer any of your calls?” Carson asked, hoping against his instincts that he’d assumed the wrong answer.

“No.” John crossed his arms over his chest and his face grew serious. “I don’t think she’s responded to any of us, but I’ll check with Rodney tonight. Should we be worried?”

“Are we ever truly not?” Carson pointed out.

“True.”

“Well, if she’ll not answer our calls, then perhaps I should stop by her apartment.”

A slow smile spread across John’s face. “Well, if hints don’t work, then bluntness should do it. Maybe you can persuade her to come with us tomorrow night? Rodney’d be happy to see her again.”

Carson chuckled. “Just Rodney, then?”

“Well, yeah, we miss her, too, and she needs to know that.” John clarified. “Look, I have to get to the debriefing with Landry. See you later.” He clapped Carson genially on the shoulder.

“Aye. Later.” Carson repeated the gesture, adding a little pat to the man’s arm absently.  
“I won’t give you the instructions for taking care of this cut since…”

“You’ve already given me that speech a few too many times, I know, Doc.” John shot him a grin. “Keep it dry and clean, change the bandage every night, and watch for infection.”

“You know, the fact that you’ve memorized my wound-care speech…”

“Yeah, probably not a good sign. Later, Carson.”

“Right.” Carson answered too softly for his departing friend to hear. Now if he could get through this shift and back to his on-base quarters, he had Elizabeth to call…


End file.
